UW Health launches new program designed to improve patient experience and surgical outcomes

The UW Health TotalCare program, designed by Madison-based Wellbe.me, offers patients the convenience of online education, family involvement, and pre- and post-operative checklists and reminders. The program is fully integrated with other points of care—pre-admissions testing, Joints 101 classes, and physical therapy— to create a single, streamlined experience. UW Health TotalCare is currently offered to all hip or knee replacement and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) patients at no extra charge.

“The TotalCare program empowers patients and their families to be as prepared and engaged as possible across the entire continuum of their care, from initial assessments all the way through treatment, rehabilitation and recovery,” said Kip Schick, director of orthopedics for UW Health. “By increasing patient engagement from the start, we hope the TotalCare program will further improve patient confidence and, ultimately, their outcomes.”

The UW Health TotalCare program is accessed via the web on computers or iPads. UW Health enrolls patients when they are scheduled for surgery, and the program covers the entire cycle of care, providing timely instructions, education (including videos), preparation checklists, decision-support tools for discharge planning, and feedback surveys.

Enrolled patients have reported better satisfaction with the experience with access to all the information they need on-demand in a timely, easy-to-digest format to educate themselves and take care of other issues when and where they want to.

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